This recipe is about as simple as a dessert can be, and you can even make the tart dough ahead of time to cut down on day-of prep. You don’t even need a stand mixer for the filling, just a bowl and a whisk. The texture is similar to pumpkin pie, but the flavor is a step above. The spices add all the flavors you would expect from a fall dessert, and the bourbon adds a hint of something special. I’m not sure I’d be able to recognize it as bourbon if I hadn’t put it in there myself, but it definitely adds a distinguishing flavor. I was a bit hesitant to add the full half-teaspoon of cloves since I’m not a huge clove fan, but I followed the recipe and am so glad I did. The amount of spice in this tart is simply perfect and only helps to elevate the pumpkin flavor. If you really want to take this over the top, make whipped cream with a splash of bourbon and pipe it around the borders (just don’t make the mistake I did and pipe it while the tart is still warm). So, to recap, we’ve got bourbon and pumpkin, two things that are practically a necessity for family holiday gatherings (at least in my family). Replace your pumpkin pie with this tart for Thanksgiving, and I promise everyone will be thanking you.

Even though we’re not hosting Thanksgiving, I kind of took over planning the menu. My dad is making the usual Thanksgiving fare – turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes – and I’m making the green bean casserole, rolls, some type of sweet potatoes and dessert. We’re still debating what vegetables we want to make, but the menu is mostly finalized. And since no Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without wine, we’ll be taking along a couple bottles from our favorite Virginia wineries. I’m sure we’re going to have a fabulous time, and I’m already salivating thinking about that fried turkey. It’s no joke, guys. If you’re still searching for some ideas for your menu, here are some of  my favorite recipes for Thanksgiving.

Appetizers:
Fried Herbed Almonds
Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts
Goat Cheese, Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine

Sides:
From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole
Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Mashed Parsnips
Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Breads:
Rosemary and Pepper Dinner Rolls
Bubble Top Brioches
Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
Roasted Garlic Compound Butter

Desserts:
Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Tiramisu
Classic Pumpkin Roll

This post has been a long time coming. I first made this green bean casserole three years ago while visiting family for Thanksgiving. I distinctly remember enlisting Eric’s little brother to help us clean mushrooms for the cream of mushroom soup. We decided to make a double batch of this since there were so many of us, which meant we had a ton of mushrooms to wipe clean. Sadly, he’s almost 16 now and is not so easily persuaded to help in the kitchen. We won’t be seeing any family at Thanksgiving this year, but we couldn’t let the season pass without making this again. We had the opportunity to make it for a Thanksgiving potluck at our friends’ house last weekend. I was so excited when one of our friends asked if this was the same one we made for our Friendsgiving party last year. To have a memorable dish always means a lot to us, especially when it’s something as unmemorable as a casserole.

What makes this dish so memorable? It’s the fact that it’s not made with any cream of questionable ingredients, and instead uses a homemade cream of mushroom soup as the base. The fresh, crisp-tender green beans and crunchy topping don’t hurt, either. Our families tend to think of Eric and I as kind of food elitists, and I remember some jesting remarks being made about us while we were prepping this dish. Those quickly ceased once everyone tried this casserole, though. I’ve made it another way since then, using fried shallots in place of the canned fried onions and breadcrumb topping in this recipe. Eric and I made the two versions back to back, and the regular version barely won out. In the future, I’d like to try a version that uses both the fried shallots and the breadcrumb topping to make this a completely can free green bean casserole. Until then, this one is still infinitely better than any other version I ever had growing up.

From Scratch Green Bean Casserole
Serves 10-12

*To make this ahead of time (because Thanksgiving Day can be so crazy), make the breadcrumbs ahead of time, store in the refrigerator and combine with the onions right before baking. The beans and cooled sauce can be combined in a baking dish and stored, covered, up to 24 hours before serving. To heat, simply remove the cover and bake at 425º for 10 minutes and continue baking as directed. You can easily halve this recipe and bake it in an 8-inch square (2 quart) baking dish. Reduce the cooking time in step 3 to 6 minutes (1 3/4 cups) and the baking time in step 4 to 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
For the Topping:
4 slices white sandwich bread, each slice torn into quarters
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups canned fried onions (about 6 ounces)

For the Beans and Sauce:
Salt
2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed, halved
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean, and broken into 1/2-inch pieces
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the bread, butter, salt and pepper until coarse crumbs form, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the onions; set aside.

Preheat oven to 425º. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water and place it near the stove. In a large Dutch oven, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and beans. Cook for about 6 minutes, until the beans are bright green and crisp-tender. Drain the beans and dunk them into the water to stop cooking. Remove from the ice bath and place onto a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain completely.

Add butter to Dutch oven and melt over medium high heat. Once foaming has subsided, add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the liquid has evaporated. Stirring constantly, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and, still stirring constantly, bring to a simmer. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and continue simmering about 12 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced to 3 1/2 cups. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Place green beans back into the Dutch oven and stir to evenly coat them with sauce. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch (3 quart) baking dish. Evenly spread topping over the beans and bake for about 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Source: The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

Thanksgiving is approaching faster than we know it, so I’m going to start sharing some of my tried and true holiday favorites. Appetizers are often the last thing people think of when it comes to holiday entertaining, but they’re actually an integral part of the meal. I like having them available so everyone has a snack to enjoy while waiting on the main attraction. This is especially helpful in case your turkey isn’t done when it should be or you need additional time to make the finishing touches on your sides. When Eric and I hosted our Friendsgiving party last year, these almonds were the first thing to disappear (and that’s not just because they were the first thing served).

The beauty of these is in their simplicity. Crunchy almonds flecked with thyme, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. That’s it. They’re easy to snack on while drinking a glass of wine, and they pair wonderfully with a variety of cheeses (we served ours with Capricho de Cabra). Because they can be made ahead of time, they’re a great item to have on your holiday menu. Just be careful if you make them too far in advance because they might disappear before Thanksgiving arrives.

Fried Herbed Almonds
Makes 2 cups

*Note: If you can’t find blanched almonds, you can blanch your own by placing raw almonds in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Allow to sit for one minute, then drain and rinse under cold water. Turn onto a tea towel. Squeeze each almond between fingers to slip skin off.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups whole blanched almonds
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light golden, 10-12 minutes. Stir in thyme and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, then pour onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Source: Martha Stewart

It’s no secret that I love pumpkin.  When I found out Eric and I weren’t traveling home for Thanksgiving this year, I racked my brain trying to decide what dessert to make for Thanksgiving Day.  Normally, I would make a pumpkin pie or cheesecake, but there was no way I was about to do that for just the two of us.  We would have way too many leftovers, and having one of those in the house for too long would have been dangerous!  I have a hard time resisting anything with pumpkin, what can I say?  Looking through all the pumpkin recipes I have bookmarked, I came across one for tiramisu.  The recipe seemed simple enough to cut down, so that’s what I decided to make.

This tiramisu, like I mentioned in my 24×24 post, tastes similar to a pumpkin spice latte.  The original recipe did not have any espresso, but I decided to add some.  After all, I know I love the combination of pumpkin and espresso and figured it could only make this tiramisu better.  Plus, I love the espresso-soaked ladyfingers in traditional tiramisu.  This tiramisu turned out even better than I thought it would.  The pumpkin mixture is light and fluffy, and there’s just a hint of spice.  I actually prefer my pumpkin desserts with a bit more pumpkin spice and have reflected the changes in the recipe.  I had never tried amaretti cookies before making this, and I loved the crunch and almond flavor they added to this.  I used rum like the recipe called for, but I think this would also be great with Frangelico. Overall, this was a fantastic dessert.  It was simple to put together the night before and tasted fantastic after a heavy Thanksgiving meal.

Pumpkin Tiramisu
Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream, very cold
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
heaping 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
8 ladyfingers, halved crosswise
2 shots espresso (about 3 ounces)
1 teaspoon rum or Frangelico (optional)
4-5 amaretti cookies, crushed

Directions:
Combine heavy cream and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat mixture with a hand mixer, gradually increasing speed from low to medium-high, until stiff peaks form. Add mascarpone, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and continue beating until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

If using rum, mix into espresso. Quickly dunk four ladyfinger halves into the espresso mixture, placing two halves each into two small glasses. Top each with a small amount (about 1/6) of filling. Repeat process twice more, using three ladyfinger halves each time, to end up with three layers of ladyfingers and three layers of filling. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, top each tiramisu with crushed amaretti and serve immediately.

Makes 2 generous servings

Heavily adapted from Epicurious

The Menu:
Appetizers – Capricho de Cabra cheese with sea salt crackers and Pan Fried Almonds with Thyme
Main Course – Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Sides – Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans with Walnuts and Lemon Vinaigrette, Chorizo Stuffing, Bubble Top Brioche Rolls
Wine – Veritas Cabernet Franc
Dessert – Pumpkin Tiramisu

Thanksgiving table for two

We made these almonds for Friendsgiving, a party we had before Thanksgiving. They disappeared in no time, so we decided to make more to snack on while cooking our Thanksgiving meal. We also had Capricho de Cabra, which is an incredibly smooth Spanish goat cheese. Perhaps our favorite discovery since moving to Virginia is its abundance of wine growing regions.  This medium-bodied cabernet franc from Veritas paired perfectly with our meal.

These Bubble Top Brioche Rolls were the most delicious rolls I’ve ever made. They were so soft and buttery. I think the Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes were my favorite side dish ever. Eric, who normally isn’t even a fan of sweet potatoes, absolutely loved these. Instead of a heavy green bean casserole, I opted to make a lighter green bean dish. These are tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and topped with toasted walnuts.

Eric said this was the best roasted turkey he’s ever had, but my dad’s fried turkey is still his favorite. I loved the way the herbs looked when the turkey breasts were cut and how their flavors really seeped into the turkey. The chorizo and brioche stuffing was a nice change from traditional stuffing. Since I was already making brioche rolls, I used half the dough to make a loaf to use in the stuffing.

This pumpkin tiramisu tasted sort of like a pumpkin spice latte. The original recipe called for the ladyfingers to be brushed with rum, but I couldn’t resist drowning them in espresso.

It took about 2 seconds for Rabb to steal my seat once I got up to start cleaning.

We don’t normally give Abby any type of human food, but I couldn’t resist the cute face she was making while Eric was carving the turkey. Once we finished our dinner, I got a tiny piece of turkey to give her. She was quite willing to do tricks for it, too.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen her roll over so quickly!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I’ll be posting these recipes soon.  :)

Pumpkin rolls are a classic Thanksgiving dessert for many people, but not in my family.  I had never tried one until last weekend when I decided to make one myself.  I’d like to tell you I’m not sure why I waited so long to try making a pumpkin roll, but that wouldn’t be true.  Visions of torn cake plagued me every time I considered making one, and I was just sure I would break the cake while rolling it.  I’m not sure why I thought that, especially considering I’ve done cooking-related things that are much, much more difficult than rolling a cake.  It seems pretty ridiculous to have ever thought that now that I’ve made one.  If you’re worried about it like I was, don’t be.  This cake was a breeze to roll up.  In fact, I rolled this one while talking to my sister on the phone.  The truth is, this is one of those desserts that looks harder to make than it actually is.

If pumpkin pie’s not your thing, this might be just the dessert you’re looking for.  The cake is fragrant and filled with the wonderful flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon and clove.  Because it’s a sponge cake, it’s incredibly moist.  The cream cheese filling is sweetened, but it still has a slightly tangy taste, as well.  It goes perfectly with the pumpkin cake (think pumpkin cream cheese muffins, but in dessert form).  Eric and I each had a slice the night I made this, and I kept an extra slice when he took the rest of it to work.  It’s a good thing, too, because I very well could have eaten several slices of this!  I like pumpkin pie, but this cake has definitely won me over.  If you’re still looking for a Thanksgiving dessert, this one can be made in next to no time and will taste delicious even after a day in the refrigerator.

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, tasty and fun-filled Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Roll
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
For the filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
additional powdered sugar for decoration (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375º. Butter a 10×15 jelly roll pan and line with wax paper. Butter and flour paper and set pan aside. Lay a tea towel (or other thin, cotton towel) on the counter and sift powdered sugar over. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar on medium-low speed until mixture is thick and lighter in color. Beat in pumpkin until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture. Pour batter onto prepared pan and spread evenly, tapping the pan on the counter as needed to release any air bubbles. If desired, sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Bake cake for 11-15 minutes, or until the top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately turn cake onto prepared tea towel. Carefully remove wax paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting at the narrow end of the cake. Place on a wire rack and cool completely. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla together on medium-low speed, either in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer. Increase speed to medium-high and continue beating until filling is smooth. Unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled cake, spreading just barely to the edges. Reroll cake and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving.

Serves 10

Adapted from Very Best Baking

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
ATK notes: Depending on the oven and the temperature of the ingredients, the cheesecake may bake about 15 minutes faster or slower than the instructions indicate; it is therefore best to check the cake 11/4 hours into baking. Although the cheesecake can be made up to three days in advance, the crust will begin to lose its crispness after only one day. To make slicing the cheesecake easy and neat, use a knife with a narrow blade, such as a carving knife; between cuts, dip the blade into a pitcher of hot water and wipe it clean with paper towels.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
5 ounces graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks and left to soften at room temperature about 30 minutes
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs, left at room temperature about 30 minutes
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
- For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray.
-Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened.
-Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using a flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan.
-Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.
-For the filling: Bring about 4 quarts water to simmer in stockpot. Meanwhile, dry the pumpkin by lining a baking sheet with a triple layer of paper towels. Cover with another triple layer of paper towels and press until the towels are saturated.
-Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside.
-In stand mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula.
-Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition.
-Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl.
-Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl.
-Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl.
-Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds.
-Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.
-Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped pan in roasting pan.
-Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan.
-Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours (see note).
-Run paring knife around cake to loosen; remove sides of pan.
-Set roasting pan on wire rack and cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes.
-Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours.
-Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
-To serve: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter.
-Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
-Top with whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired. Also, if desired, press graham cracker crumbs into sides of cooled cheesecake for extra texture.

Source: Barely adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

It being my first cheesecake, I had no idea when it would be done. The center is supposed to be wiggly, but I didn’t know how wiggly. The center wasn’t liquidy, but it just wasn’t quite as firm as it should have been. It did not go to waste, however, because the majority of it is still good. It tastes quite amazing, too. For my first try, I’m not too disappointed.

Don’t let my mess up deter you from trying this recipe. Some of the wonderful ladies on the cooking message board I post on gave me some pointers for next time. Katie (from Good Things Catered) suggested that I use an instant-read thermometer until I make enough cheesecakes to know what the appropriate jiggle looks like. The center of the cheesecake should be about 145°-150°. Thanks, Katie! :) I was also told that cooling the cheesecake in the oven will prevent it from cracking. There are lots of tips out there; just Google them if you want to know more.

Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake
Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
1/2 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (Do not use pumpkin-pie filling.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 pounds (4 regular sized packs) cream cheese
1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
For the topping:
powdered sugar
cinnamon

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 325°.
-In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened.
-Press into the bottom of a 9-inch round cheesecake (springform) pan.
-Freeze, uncovered, until filling is ready.
-In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice until just combined. Set aside.
-Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
-Add the brown sugar and continue to beat for 2 minutes.
-Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
-Add the pumpkin mixture to the cream cheese mixture; mix on low speed until incorporated.
-Pour the batter over the crust, smoothing it out to touch the sides of the pan.
-Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cheesecake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan but is still a bit loose in the center.
-Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
-Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before decorating or serving.
-To decorate, use a fine meshed sieve to dust the top with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I made the star on mine by using leftover cookie crumbs.

Source: Good Housekeeping